I'm a relatively new fan of Ashley Poston and since I read The Dead Romantics, I knew I wanted to read more from her. In her second romantic installment, Ashley Poston uses the "The Lake House" model where two main characters are slung across time and space only to hopefully one day meet in the same time. I was very excited about "The Lake House" themes because it's one of my favorite movies and one of those ones where you don't expect the ending until the very end.

While I really liked this one, it didn't carry the same kind of punch Dead Romantics had for me. I'm not saying that they need to be the same or anything, but I felt like this book was missing a few pages. There was much needed explanation in certain parts and a quick turnaround in the second-chance romance pacing. I'm a huge fan of second-chance romances and this one is one in its own weird little way, but I wanted more of the present and less of the past.

What Ashley Poston does really well is incorporate a lot of mature themes throughout the story. Similarly to her character in The Dead Romantics, Clementine is struggling with the loss of her beloved aunt, whom she inherits the apartment that jumps seven years into the past. I love these kinds of stories because there's more to the story than just the romance. You get to know these characters and see how they grow over the course of the book. You see a lot of that in Clementine and Iwan, especially towards the end. But similarly to the romance parts of this book, you're still left with wanting more.

However, I was swept away by their love. Their dinner dates at home with incredible food descriptions, passionate kissing, and little quirks between each other (so much face holding) really brought the couple to life. I loved Clementine and Iwan and rooted for them the entire time. Definitely swoon worthy and enjoyable read, but I just wanted a bit more.

I really enjoyed The Seven Year Slip. It's a magical realism romance that hooked me into the unique story of love and grief.

Now I need to catch up and read The Dead Romantics which has been on my TBR and clearly needs to move to the top.

There is a brief discussion of suicide so I do want to flag that upfront as a trigger warning. That said, it's handled with love and care. Make sure to read the author's note.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the electronic advanced copy.

“ I want to tell you a story about a magical apartment. You might not believe me at first, buy I promise it’s true.”

What an amazing, fantastical story! I loved it so much!! If you enjoyed The Dead Romantics, this is right up your alley. Because you have to suspend your disbelief again for this story.

Penelope meets Iwan, a charming stranger, in her aunt’s old apartment and immediately knows something is off. Because her aunt doesn’t live in the apartment anymore, she does, and all of Penelope’s things are missing. She has somehow met this amazing man in the past, when her aunt is still alive.

Her interactions with Iwan are sporadic and uncontrollable and only happen within the apartment. When she starts to fall in love with past Iwan and meets current Iwan, she knows it’s a mess. Can she reconcile the man he was with the man he is?

This is just an amazing puzzle of a book and I loved how intricate and entwined their love story is. Gah! I want to read it again.

5 Stars

This is one of my most anticipated reads for the year, and it DID NOT disappoint! A book about an apartment that allows for a bit of time travel magic, bringing two lovers together with a seven year time gap? Seems impossible and too fanciful to work. Yet it does.

It isn’t just the romance, but this book really handles the topics of grief and moving forward in life, the ability to change and morph through different stages of life, to mourn the past but hope for a brighter future, so beautifully.

It might be weird, but my favorite portion was the included author’s note. It was moving and touching and really portrayed the personal connection to this story, while also bringing the reader in on the time travel magic that is books.

I will point out that this book handles the topic of suicide and might be hard for some readers. The author has a personal connection and lived experience through the effects of suicide, and really handles the topic and the grief around it with care. Please prioritize your own mental health as you pick up this beautiful crafted love story.

An absolute smash from Ashley Poston! I don't read a lot of magical realism novels, because suspending my disbelief does take quite a bit of effort, but I was very pleased with this one! I particularly enjoyed that there wasn't an overwhelming amount of magic, and the relationship between Clementine and Iwan was just really wholesome and believable that it kept me captivated, along with Clementine's own relationship with her career. I feel like if you want something to make you feel a bit of sad girl vibes similar to Emily Henry, then this would be a great book to continue that journey! I loved the love story in this one and the growth of both characters as a whole.

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston is a love story about an apartment that slips through time on occasion to seven years in the past. After the death of her beloved aunt, Clementine inherits her apartment, along with its time-traveling baggage as one day she returns home to find a man in her kitchen. A handsome chef with an open heart and a killer recipe for lemon pie, one Clementine might have fallen for if her heart were in the right place. Unfortunately, he is from seven years in the past, and her heart may have other ideas on whether or not falling in love is the safe decision.

This novel claims it is a romance novel, but it falls somewhere in between romance and women's fiction. The romance has an insta-love quality that feels more akin to a teen romance than one between mid-to-late twenty somethings. And while the relationship doesn't feel as though it is built up enough over time, other threads of the novel also feel underbaked, such as the grief Clementine experiences toward her aunt's death, and other mental health aspects I will not go into as it would be spoiler territory.

I love the plot ideas Posten has for her novels, but so far not one has hit home for me. I'm still going to read her next release as I definitely feel this novel showed growth from The Dead Romantics.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review purposes!

I adored The Seven Year Slip by @heyashposton. It's one of my top three reads of the year (out of nearly 100 books read) and I highly recommend.

✔️ Magical Realism
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Second Chance?
✔️ Roommates?

I loved the concept of this book, about an apartment that can exist in different times, seven years apart, bringing together people in different timelines. It was fun to see Clementine having a meet-cute in her own apartment but not in the current year - in a space cut off from the realities of the rest of the world. It was like a Love on Vacation trope - you're not sure if it's feasible to move the relationship into real life but you desperately want it to work.

I loved both characters and the juxtaposition of one, weary at a career crossroad, and the other one starry-eyed at the start of his job prospects. It had my favorite part of any love story - each person is exactly what the other person needs.

There were so many terrific moments in this book and I do not want to spoil it for you. I do have to call out food truck meet up number 2 - that had me scream-squealing.

This book had everything. A little real-life angst, a terrific meet-cute, funny banter, so much pining in a perfect slow burn, swoony and steamy moments. My perfect read. There are some books I pick up just to reread my favorite parts. I've done this with The Dead Romantics and will be doing it with this one too. 5⭐️.

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

Damn, Ashley Poston said I’m giving you a Time Machine, A GINGER CHEF, and a girl like us. Clementine is the protagonist I have related to more then any character be ever read. She is struggling with grief, work, and home life. I wish there was a trigger warning about the grandmother’s passing, because it’s not natural causes. Thank you sooooo much to the publisher (and author for this piece of her soul) for this ARC and I can’t wait to see what this author writes next. These are my opinions, I can’t post quotes until the book is actually published.

I was really cynical of a follow up to The Dead Romantics. The plot had seemed hard to accomplish, but she did it! And now she's coming back with a time travel apartment while still navigating signature themes of grief, independence, and family? Well, she did it and I loved it so much. The plot is navigated so DANG WELL. It reminded me of Time Traveler's Wife in it's attention to jumping back and forth and the effects of existing on different timelines.

I loved Clementine's journey through publishing, painting, and travel and the added world of food through Iwan's chef story. I read it so quickly wanting to get back to each place and time to progress the story, but was able to appreciate the subtle details (like pigeons and memories of trips).

“love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing” - The Seven Year Slip

When I get all up in my feels I need to heavily dose myself with a “chill pill” aka a sweet ole romance that will warm my little black heart.

Drum roll please…

The Seven Year Slip

I was all about this book from page one. Hook, line, sinker, Ashley Poston, took hold of my emotions until the very last page. I laughed, I cried, I rooted for a happy ending.

Did I get one?

Your going to have to get yourself a copy to find out, until then, enjoy this little teaser:

An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.

Thank you Berkley, NetGalley and Ashley Poston, for gifting me a copy of The Seven Year Slip in exchange for an honest (and lovable) review! Y’all rock and I am so excited for the big release and for all to love on up to this book as much as I did

Clementine inherits her aunt’s apartment, which her aunt always said was magical. Then she meets a man in her apartment suddenly. He’s from the past… seven years exactly.

Another great one from this author! It takes a lot for me to love a romance, and an extra bonus like paranormal (The Dead Romantics) or time travel (Seven Year Slip) really adds that extra oomphf for me. I couldn’t put this one down and loved the characters. I thought grief was pretty accurately displayed and helped to make the story true to life, despite the whole time travel thing.

“Find fulfilling work, fall in love, and chase the moon.”

The Seven Year Slip comes out 6/27.

This is a magical book in so many ways. I loved the characters, the element of magical realism, the food descriptions, and most of all I loved how healing it felt. Grief is so personal and the way Ashley wrote it in this story made me feel so connected to my own grief journey and yet also part of the universal feelings of loss of a loved one. It's a thought-provoking novel of self-reflection, remembering the past, and honoring who we are in this moment. I listened to the audiobook and Brittany Pressley does a fabulous job as always and the author's note is beautiful.

I went into this book figuring I would enjoy it, I didn’t realize I would be crying so much at the end and that this would easily become one of my favorite books of the year! I didn’t give in to the hype of reading The Dead Romantics when it came out last year, but it has quickly made its way to the top of my TBR now.

Did I figure out where the story was going as soon as Clementine discovered Iwan in her apartment? Yes, but I didn’t care because I quickly fell for these two characters and needed to know what was going to happen next between them.

I was slightly hesitant to pick this book up since I don’t read fantasy or magical realism, but it was very light in this book. This book is so much more than a love story between two people with a 7 year time difference. It is about grief as Clementine is dealing with the loss of her beloved aunt, the reason she is in the apartment to meet Iwan in the first place. Her aunt meant everything to her, and as she grapples with moving on after unexpectedly losing her, she also learns so much about who she is in the process.

I don’t want to say too much about the storyline without giving away spoilers, but I loved that throughout their time spent together, Clementine and Iwan helped each other get to where they needed to be, even if sometimes they couldn’t see it.

I loved the ending even though I selfishly wanted more time with these characters. This is a beautiful story about love, loss, and finding yourself, and I’m officially an Ashley Poston fan now!

I’m gutted by this book in the way that’s the reason we read to begin with— I have to pull myself away from Ashley Poston’s Upper East Side even though I’ve read the story’s end. I read this in one day, almost one sitting, because I has to know what happened next.

You can read a synopsis from someone else— I’m here to tell you that you’ll want to read this. That Clementine and Iwan’s story is the best book I’ve read this year. TSYS is not what I expected, and you won’t, either— it’s art, and it’s stunning, and it’s completely unexpected in the most wonderful way.

I only read books I like, but I don’t always say prose is brilliant, stunning, life-changing. But this is.

Bring your tissues, settle in, and trust this storyteller to spin a tale that twines love, time, food, and friendship. I’ll be pre-ordering every edition I can get my hands on, grateful Berkley made the excellent decision to bring this book to the world.

Here I sit, almost exactly a year after finishing <i>The Dead Romantics</i>, with another delightfully magical Ashley Poston book. There were tears with this one, but thankfully no ugly crying on my balcony this time around. More dealing with grief in Ms. Poston's eloquent words. An adorable couple in Clementine and Iwan, who slip through a seven-year span in a magical apartment. A good spice level. I'm sad it's over!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston tells the story of Clementine, who, after a tragic event, strives to live a safe and predictable life in New York. However, when she encounters a man from seven years in the past, she faces a dilemma of falling in love with someone who exists in a different time, challenging her notions of love and timing. I absolutely loved The Dead Romantics so I was very excited to read The Seven Year Slip. From the moment I started reading The Seven Year Slip, it reminded me of two movies that involve time travel, The Lake House (featuring Sandra Bullock & Keanu Reeves) and Just Like Heaven (featuring Reese Weatherspoon and Mark Ruffalo). I adored Clementine and wanted to give her a big hug throughout the book. While the sweet connection between Clementine and Iwan developed beautifully, I craved more insight into the present day outcome. The storyline goes beyond light romance and dives into Clementine’s grieving for her late aunt along with her journey to figure out her career goals. Some may argue that the book leans more towards women’s fiction and magical realism than typical romance, but the way it’s written works for the narrative. I appreciated that the author was able to capture the struggle of figuring out one’s life path when feeling unhappy and in need of a change, the solace found in memories, and the importance of embracing new beginnings. While The Dead Romantics remains my personal favorite, I still found The Seven Year Slip to be an heartwarming read and would recommend to romance readers who are a fan of Ashley Poston’s work.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for an advance copy of this!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

This book. Whenever I think I have found my top books of the year, more just keep getting added to the list.
This will definitely be in my top books of 2023.

"...because love is nothing if not a matter of timing."

Time traveling is such a hit or miss for me in media. But I really enjoyed it in this as there the clear distinguish between the timelines. I also was happy that there wasn't such a HUGE deal over the time travel and that future Iwan knew. And when the time came in the past for Clementine to reveal the truth to him about the apartment there wasn't any fall out from it.

There were multiple times where i found myself internally screaming for what Iwan would say to Clementine. There was one other person who I knew who read this book already and we both were just melting over Iwan and wanted more of him. I also have a thing for the male characters in books whisper to their love interest and this one had plenty of those moments for me. I just loved them so much! In their big moments and then in their quiet moments.

"I tried to fall in love again and again, and all I could think about was you."

I just love how they each how "found" each other at different times of their lives and the reminder that time does allow you to grow & dreams can change. I really need more of Clementine & Iwan in present day. Perhaps an extra Epilogue taken place in the future? I just want to know where they end up, what did she paint for him, do they tell the next owner about the magical powers of the apartment? Just so many questions!!! I am guessing that is left for the reader's interpretation as to what happens next.

"She lived because she loved, and she lived because she was loved, and what a lovely lifetime she gave us."

As I will often write in my reviews, I am an emotional person except when it comes to reading. It is rare for me to find books that will bring tears to my eyes. This is the 4th book in 3 years that has brought on that feeling. I lost my aunt unexpectedly last August and we were close. I even was texting her a mere 2 hours prior to her passing and reading the last bit of the book just made me really miss her. The relationship between Clementine and her Aunt Analea was so special & I am sure Clementine was happy to have so many wonderful moments with her. Analea is the kind of aunt I hope to be for my nephews. So thank you Ashley for writing such beautiful words.

Brittany Pressley is such a great audio. narrator and is quickly becoming a go to narrator for books. She just brought to life both Clementine and Iwan. Her tone, timing & inflection was just perfect.

I know The Dead Romantics holds a special place in many people heart but this is the one that will stick with me.

I've loved Ashley Poston since she went by Ash Poston and wrote YA books. Her foray into "adult contemporary fiction with a sprinkle of magic" has been LOVELY so far - THE DEAD ROMANTICS was one of my favorite books last year and I can still remember the feeling of sitting on the amazing porch at our Airbnb and reading so much of it in one sitting. While that story gets the half-star edge over THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP, I clearly loved this one too. 

The story centers around Clementine and her somewhat boring life in NYC, six months after her beloved aunt and travel partner passed away. She was willed her apartment and has been living there ever since, despite how painful it can be. Her aunt always said the apartment was a bit magical and Clementine finds out firsthand how true that was. Somehow timelines overlap, and you may return to your apartment one day and find yourself seven years in the past... yes, including whoever was living there seven years prior. One summer, that turns out to be Iwan, a gorgeous Southern guy that her aunt sublet the apartment to when she was overseas (oddly enough, with Clementine) at the time. The two connect very quickly but Clementine isn't sure how to tell him exactly what's happening with their time-related disconnect. Some other ~things~ progressed in this story that were not what I expected when I read the synopsis, but I actually liked it way better than what I predicted the story would be like.

There's something so magical (kind of literally, since both of her adult fiction books feature magical realism and/or time travel in some capacity...) about her books and writing - I can never put them down once I start. My eyes were closing at the 90% mark and I let myself sleep... only to wake up 7 hours later and immediately finish the story off.

If I could nitpick about anything, I could have used a bit more of the romance to beef it up. I found it believable despite the somewhat instalove-ish connection they made. The book is around 350 pages so honestly even 20 more pages of the romance and the two of them connecting would have made this even better without pushing it on the length. Some things were very obvious to the reader but not to Clementine, which I THINK was done on purpose? So it's hard for me to say those things were "predictable" necessarily... and there were a few things that did surprise me toward the end.

Poston's premises are so unique - I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. What other way can she make a man inaccessible to the heroine? We already had a dead guy and a guy seven years in the past. What else can she think of?!

I really loved this one. For me, it seems like Poston has some magic to her writing. You couldn’t help rooting for Iwan and Clementine. It was super easy to fall for seven years ago Iwan and all of his enthusiasm. My heart got anxious every time they were separated by the apartment not knowing if they’d meet again. I love learning about the publishing industry and how they go about obtaining new authors. I loved the friend groups that Iwan and Clementine had supporting them as well. I would’ve liked to see a little more about Clementine’s future career, but otherwise I absolutely adored this one. I listened to the audiobook and Brittany Pressley’s narration was perfect! I can’t wait for my preorder of this to come in and for more books by Poston.

<b>"I like your face," I told him in good humor, and before I could stop myself, I reached up and cupped his cheek, my thumb tracing over the laughter lines around his mouth. A blush rushed up his throat to his cheeks, but instead of leaning away, he closed his eyes and leaned into the palm of my hand.” </b>

Clementine & Iwan. She’s a senior publicist. He’s a chef. And they’re connected through her late aunts magical apartment. But he’s seven years in the past and she’s the present. A romance across time and it is just LOVELY. So good. Like the kind of good that sticks to your bones.

Iwan is on a mission to make the perfect meal but I think HE is the perfect meal. (Eyebrow wag). I’m going to just melt into the ground. 🫠 tender and soft.

<b>”You can dance, Lemon. You can take the lead.”
“And you’ll follow?”
“To the moon and back,” he replied.”</b>

🌙 THINGS AND STUFF 🌙
-friends to lovers
-a magical, time bending apartment
-Jeff Goldblum’s face
-forced proximity (temp sublet roommates)
-wine (rosé) & cheese & travel guides
-emotional support toothbrush
-🍋🥹🫠
-pommes frites 🍟
-finger guns 👉🏼👉🏼
-yo mama’s fajitas
-off limits
-#IsThisAKissingBook: open door. “The one who had kissed me over a lemon pie.” “… I think you’re brave,” I corrected and kissed his nose.”

Thank you Berkley Romance for the free book! I devoured it! Totally obsessed!

Song: The Great Unknown by Jukebox the Ghost